UP Alumni Association of America (UPAAA) gave its seal of approval to civic-oriented project proposals from six UP-Mindanao student organizations and granted a total of US$1,600 to be distributed among the student orgs for their implementation. This was done thru the signing of a memorandum of agreement on 17 January between the student orgs and UPAAA secretary Jovenia “Joy” Celo, representing UPAAA President Nelsie Parrado.
Dugong Antro organization of BA Anthropology students will use their funds to purchase food, farming tools, and school supplies for their “Pahinungod: A Community Integration and Literacy Workshop in a Lumad Community College”. Phil. Association of Food Technologists-Lambda Chapter (PAFT-Lambda) will use theirs for “Panagtigiay: 8th Region-wide Inter-High School Quiz Bowl and 2nd Poster-making Competition”. UP Mindanao Mountaineering Society has three projects, “Project Binhi”, “Environmental Discussion Summit”, and “Project Solidarity Bracelets”. Association of Pre-Medical Students will hold their “Medical Mission and Solidarity-Building”. A consortium of the organizations Navigators, PSALM, Youth for Christ, Students of Destiny, Youth to the Nations, and SEED will hold the fellowship “F.U.S.E. UP (For the Unity and Solidarity of Every Student in UP)”. SPARCS (Society of Programmers and Refined Computer Scientists) will hold “Lit it SPARCS: Literacy on Information Technology” for youths in barangays.
UPAAA, also called “UP Triple-A”, is the umbrella organization of UP alumni associations in the United States and Canada. This is the UPAAA’s second year of support to projects by UP-Mindanao students. The linkage between UPAAA and the students was arranged by UP Alumni Association Davao and the UP Mindanao Office of Extension and Community Service.
Signatories to the agreements were Kate Opimo (BA Anthropology) for Dugong Antro, Jozille Leyble (BS Biology) for F.U.S.E. UP, Yrneh Ladera (BS Bio) for Association of Pre-Med, Alnyssa Cornell (BS Food Technology) for PAFT, Lorraine Barabat (BS Computer Sci.) for SPARCS, and Garelle Bacaron (BA Anthro) for Mountaineers. Witnessing the signing were OECS Director Michael Gatela, Student Affairs Director Teody Perez, UPAAA rep Ed Celo, and UP-Min alumnus Reuben Cabrera.